


Heart to heart, hand in hand

by Fancyfrenchie



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Gen, No Sex, No Underage Sex, No matter how old he is, Orson loves Galen, Papa Bear Orson, Sassy Galen, Toddler Galen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 04:05:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10608921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fancyfrenchie/pseuds/Fancyfrenchie
Summary: After growing exasperated with Galen's constant escape attempts, an Imperial Officer uses a new solution to try and keep him under control. Sadly it doesn't go to plan and it leaves Orson in a role he has no experience of.





	1. Chapter 1

“He tried to escape again?!”

 

Orson sighs and drops his head into his hands, despair rolling over him. He glances him at the officer who brings him the bad tidings. The man's face is twitching, a nerve ticking under his eye.

 

“Well, to be completely fair,” Orson tried to make his tone as placating as possible, “we did kidnap him and set him work in the Empire.”

The man's face twitches harder and his hands shake.

 

“But, I'll talk to him about this.” Orson blurts, sighing internally again as he tries to balance his opposing duties.

 

“You need to, this is getting beyond the pale, if you can't control him then something must be done.”

 

Orson does some twitching of his own at the threat to Galen, but forces his anger down knowing that showing favouritism won't help either of them.

 

He waits just long enough for the man to storm out then relieves a little of his anger by making rude gestures at the door once it's closed on the retreating officers back. Then he picks up a com link and calls Galen.

 

After a frustrating conversation, in which Galen cannot even pretend to be sorry for his antics, nor will he listen to Orson's pleas for him to behave, he cuts the link feeling even more tired and stressed then he had this morning. And given the Monday morning meeting he's had to sit through its saying a whole lot about his work life balance of late.

 

He records the conversation dutifully in the relevant paperwork and goes on with his day. It improves greatly and by 4pm he's all but finished for the day, he clears his desk and is just pulling on his cape ready to escape and go back to his quarters for a meal and a hot shower before getting an early night, when the comms link bleeps at him.

 

For a second he nearly ignores it, mentally planning his dinner, but his conscience pricks at him.

 

Sighing for the thousandth time today, he answers.

 

“Krennic.” He snaps instead of a greeting, hoping that it will give the caller a clue as to how little he wishes to chat.

 

“Director,” one of the med team gasps, “It’s Mister Erso, he’s.. well. Erm.. i.. well you need to come sir.” At the stuttered words his blood turns to ice, and his kind is filled with images of Galen, bloody or battered, dead or dying and his breath hitches and his head feels light.

 

“I'm on my way.” He barks.

 

He doesn't move for a moment just rests a hand on the desk and and breathes deeply centering himself, preparing himself for whatever is to come.

 

As he enters the med bay, he can see lots of staff more than he's ever seen before, and his stomach drops, he feels the blood draining from his face in his panic. “What's happened?” He just barely keeps his voice steady and even while asking even the short question.

 

Like the red sea before Moses the crowd in the med bay parts and for a moment he can't make sense of the situation.

 

Sitting on the bed, dressed in an oversized Science Officer's uniform shirt is a small boy, the shirt is covering his hands and his little shoulders are nearly slipping through the neckhole. Orson blinks at the child confused, then to his shock the child looks right at him, lift his arms and let's out a wordless whinge.

 

Orson looks into the liquid brown eyes and recognition slices through him.

 

“Galen?” He asks weakly.


	2. Chapter 2

Orson stares at the child in front of him, shock shutting down higher reasoning as he stands numbly.

The little boy, babbles something and Orson doesn't know if it's meaningless baby babble or if it's the native language of grange corrupted by a toddler's lack of linguistic skills.

Galen holds his hands out stubbornly, opening and closing his tiny hands, letting out the same string of unintelligible syllables. Eventually it seems to sink in that Orson is rushing to pick him up and his bottom lip wobbles his huge brown eyes fix on Orson's blue ones. They bore into his, filled with hurt, bewildered confusion, and before Orson can make a move they fill with tears which begin to slide down the plump curve of his chubby toddler cheeks.

Horrified at being the cause of his tears Orson steps forwards and then faltering, his knowledge of babies incomplete to say the least, he extends a hand out gingerly. Galen grabs a hold on his finger with surprising strength and the sturdiness of those little fingers bolsters his confidence enough to scoop Galen into his arms.

It's awkward for a moment, until Galen settles into his tentative hold as though he's been waiting for it his entire life. The baby’s little head thunks down onto his collarbone with bruising force and Galen sets his chubby hands in the front of Orson's shirt. His knuckles dimple as he clutches. By the narrowest of margins he manages to bite back the coo at the cuteness back.

Resolutely setting his face into the best poker face he can manage, he turns to the Medical staff. It's clearly quite a good face as they all wince as one, “well?” He prompts.

“He's healthy,” one of the braver nurses ventures.

“He's a baby! I can hold him. He's tiny.” Orson points this out as reasonably as he can, striving to keep his voice at a natural pitch.

There is a long silence while everybody tries not to make eye contact with him, Galen chews his fingers and then wipes them on Orson's neck. He glared extra hard at the medical personnel to compensate, they all quail a little further before him.

“How did this happen then?”

All eyes slide towards Billit from the weapons division, the man is question goes while under the force of his stare and shuffles his feet.

“I am waiting!”

At the forceful tone the whole room winces again ,and Galen turns to him looking startled.  “Sorry, darling, sorry, sshhh, Daddy's sorry.” Galen pouts a little but resettles. Vowing to looking into why he's calling himself daddy to his best friend and old flame he refocuses his mind on Billit. Raising one eloquent eyebrow is all it takes for the man to break.

“ He was escaping again, sir, so i used the MK5789 as a means of… preventing him.” The man falters and his words die off as Orson tries to eviscerate him through the sheer force of his hate.

“You used an unknown biological weapon on an Imperial asset?”

“Sir?” Billit says the short word pleadingly, but he's in no mood to be reasonable.

“You're fired.” He snaps.

“Sir!” Billit gasps and gazes at him as though he is the monster in his situation.

“Shut up and get out of my sight or I'll have you fired out of a canon.”

A coward before the face of Orson's fury Billit retreats swiftly, and Orson is left holding the baby.

“Well?” He demands turning on the rest of the Medical staff, “ can you fix him.”

“Yes!” Several voices insist in unison. “Well at least we should be able to, it should just be a simple matter of using his DNA sequencing, and reprogramming the machine to resolve this.” The first nurse says the words authoritively and although he doesn't really understand it's the answer he wants so he decides he likes this nurse and focuses his attention on her.

“Until then you'll need to look after him, sir” she continues.

Orson looks down at Galen whose brown eyes are nearly closed and his breathing is deep and even, simple he thinks. He's been looking out for Galen in his own way for years.


	3. Chapter 3

A couple of the nurses seem to be concerned about Orson's abilities to care for Galen, and he insists as politely as he can that they will be fine. He knew Galen as an angry grieving teenager, as an angry grieving man, a little fragile Galen will be no trouble.

“He needs clothes that fit.” Nurse Swiduff instructs him, and he nods exaggeratedly as though he's known. Inwardly he's torn between the realisation that yes, Galen will now need clothing and the sudden need to get a little science officer uniform for him to wear.

Nodding he sweeps out of the room, with little Galen secured in this arms and heads towards the fabrication units.

Once there he shifts Galen afraid to wake him and brings up the lists of clothing. Scrolling through he finds the science uniform and selects a  few other items for the sleeping boy. The fabricator hums into life and he takes Galen and heads back to his quarters to grab a drink and a change of clothes for himself while he waits for it to finish.

Back in his quarters, he gently slides Galen onto the covers of his bed. The toddler curls up a little into a comma shape, smacks his lips and continues to sleep.

Orson stands and watches him for a few moments until he begins to feel drowsy himself, then he turns and heads for the fresher, leaving the door ajar in case Galen stirs. Washed and dressed in more casual clothing he heads back out and the door hisses shut behind him. The noise causes Galen to stir and he sits rubbing at his eyes with the backs on his hands rather than his knuckles. It's uncoordinated and ineffective but it makes his heart melt as he watches the man he's loved for years need him in a completely different way.

Galen looks around, and when he catches sight of Orson pouts adorably. “No,” Orson tells him exaggeratedly, “not the pout, you know I'm helpless against the pout.” He reaches out and flips the boys protruding bottom lip and making a sad face of his own. For a moment he thinks it was the wrong move as Galen’s blonde,  _ blonde, _ when was he blonde Orson thinks, eyebrows scrunch up, then he smiles showing of pearly white teeth and laughs.

Orson laughs back, out of relief and delighted that he's made Galen laugh. 

“Come on young man, let's get you dressed!”

In the end he has to return to the Med Bay despite the desire to demonstrate that he can adequately care for Galen, as he realises that Galen needs things he doesn't have.

“Poop catchers.” He tells Nurse Swiduff gravely, and she looks at him as though he's having a particularly exciting mental breakdown. “Poop catchers?” She repeats back at him, hearing it said he can sympathise with her expression. “Whatever they are called, he needs them.” As though to prove his point and demonstrate his sanity he boosts Galen, still clad in his adult self's work shirt, higher so she can see him.

“Nappies.” She tells him, raising a single eyebrow, and he nods dutifully. She turns away and rummages through some supplies before tapping a finger against her lips, then rummaging through another cupboard. After a few moments she returns triumphant. “I'll do this one, but you'll have to learn.” She warns, smiling broadly as Orson doesn't quite manage to hide his horror.

She adeptly gets a wriggly Galen into the nappy and hands him back. Orson can't help but feel smug when Galen settles quickly into his grasp in a way that he hadn't into Swiduff’s. 

Task achieved he settles into getting Galen into his officers uniform. It's harder than it looks, he's frightened of tugging on Galens little fingers as he pulls the little hands through the sleeves of his shirt, but eventually Galen is dressed like an Imperial officer despite being not quite three feet tall. 

Looking at Galen he tries to think of a reason that he can get a picture, mentally explaining himself despite no one asking. He needs this to irritate Galen when he's back to normal, he can tease him that he made a better officer as a preschooler, he needs this to prove to the nurses that he's perfectly capable of parenting. Parents take pictures, he needs pictures, he tries to hide the fact that it's really because miniature Galen makes the cutest officer. He picks Galen up and heads to the science department, to get his pictures, the while plotting to make little Galen be employee of the month. It will drive adult Galen to a fury when he finds out Orson snickers to himself.


End file.
